The verdict is in and Democrats are celebrating a remarkable strategic victory today with President Obama's decisive election win. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a major Obama supporter who also played Rep. Paul Ryan in debate prep with Vice President Joe Biden, talks with Soledad O’Brien this morning on what’s next after the president’s reelection.

Soledad O’Brien asks Van Hollen how lawmakers can move forward with issues like the fiscal cliff given that the balance of power hasn't changed much. Van Hollen says President Obama made it clear in his victory speech that “he was looking forward to working with Republicans.” He says the president’s answer is a “balanced approach” with a “combination of cuts, but also revenue” and that Americans voted for that by voting for Obama in this "decisive election."

“It’s very clear from the exit polling that a majority of Americans recognize that we need to share responsibility in reducing the deficit. That means asking higher income earners to contribute more to reducing the deficit,” he adds.

With the impending fiscal cliff deadline, Van Hollen hopes Republicans are willing to compromise or they “face a very serious question on the fiscal cliff.”

“Are they going to drive off the fiscal cliff...with the message that nobody in the country gets tax relief unless very high income earners get a bonus tax break?” he asks. “If that’s the message they want to send to the American people, I just think it’s unsustainable.”

I was listening to the morning news show on Sirius XM around 7:30 am whenI heard someone say that one of the reasons why lines at the polling booths were so long was because old people were working the check-in. And that old people don't know how to run the machines and the software is out of date. Another commentator, in an attempt to save the moment, said that his mother was quite good at the computer and she was 65 years old. I really felt the need, at that moment, to hobble to New York and beat both of them with my walker had I not been on my way to work at my computer before putting in a 9 hr. day at a nursery doing manual labor as well as computer trouble-shooting. My 65 year old "Senior Citizen" self was gonna put an a** whopping on somebody, but I had to work, and probably take a nap. "Power to the 'Senior Citizens'!". Right on!

Using a balanced approach involves compromise. It seems Republicans have developed an allergy to this concept in the last few years. Some claim they have tried to work with the President. They say it's now up to Pres. Obama to lead and come to the table with Republicans to make things work.

When you have a Republican leader declare, on camera, that the Republicans' goal is not to represent their constituents, not to pass laws and lead the country, but to make sure the President has only one term, I think it's clear who has to more steps to take to come to the table. The Republicans have to do their job and stop refusing to compromise. Look it up. It's not a four-letter word.

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